It IS God's plan and when the disciples held the bread that Jesus had broken at that Last Supper, it was BREAD. When they put it in their mouths, it was STILL bread. When they chewed and swallowed it, it NEVER changed from being bread. The same thing with the cup of wine. It is so obvious that these "elements" represented Christ's broken body and shed blood and that partaking of these elements in the like manner was to be done...what did Jesus say? IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. It was an object lesson for those there. It's that simple. Jesus used such lessons and stories and parables all the time to teach them.
How do we receive the sacrifice Christ made for us so that we HAVE eternal life? By faith. We believe on HIM. We RECEIVE Him by faith. A person can attend Mass twice a day and take "Holy Communion" every single time he's there, but without faith in the Savior Jesus Christ, he is as lost as one who never heard of Christ. It is NOT the taking of communion that saves, it is done in commemoration of the fact that we HAVE received him already by faith.
We are saved by grace through faith and NOT by works, not by righteous deeds we have done, not by our own merit or works, but ONLY through faith in Christ - in what HE did for us. Those religions that try to demand and insist that no other Christian churches have "legitimate" communion services BUT them are sadly mistaken. What it usually means is that those who state that are the ones who are missing out on the true intention and meaning behind the observance. Like the Apostle Paul said, as often as you do this, you do show the Lord's death until he comes. You do it in remembrance, to remind you, of what our precious savior has done for us. It is to remind us that we HAVE been given eternal life when we trusted in and received Christ. It is not a doling out of parcels of grace that together with all the other things we do gains us eternal life. We HAVE BEEN redeemed, by HIS blood, and we ARE SAVED right now! He did it ALL because of His great love and mercy.
“It IS God’s plan and when the disciples held the bread that Jesus had broken at that Last Supper, it was BREAD. When they put it in their mouths, it was STILL bread. When they chewed and swallowed it, it NEVER changed from being bread. The same thing with the cup of wine. It is so obvious that these “elements” represented Christ’s broken body and shed blood and that partaking of these elements in the like manner was to be done...what did Jesus say? IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.”
So, you do not accept what Jesus said. And that is the problem we continue to have between Christians. I understand both of the ‘arguments’...yours and ‘theirs’. Think how much easier it is if we just take what God says, what Jesus says, at face value. It is only in your mind if you do not believe that it is still ‘bread’ or still ‘wine’.
It does not ‘become’ it does not ‘represent’...it is...Jesus said so. Is that a lie?
Amen!